So Mr. Django has put on another pound. I am not over feeding him and the vet is concerned it might be his thyroid. He's on a diet the next 3 weeks (we go to the vet every 21 days for his shot) so if he doesn't loose weight we need to check his thyroid. If that checks out okay then I need to change his food. HE will be 9 in January. Does anyone have any good recommendations for a Senior Diet? He cannot have beef, lamb or wheat. Not fond of fish.

Nina is a pup but I just recently tried her on Taste of the Wild and they have all types of protein sources like bison, fowl, boar. http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/ I am not sure if they have a senior dog food. I have a friend with a beagle that has thyroid dissorder. He is always hungry but his vet wants him to loose weight. I think she was adding some water to his weight loss kibbles to make him feel a little fuller.

Because of Djangos Addisons I have to be careful that he doesn't get too much protein in his diet (potential kidney issues due to addisons.....hopefully not for a long time). Raw is not an option either due to several routes of pancreatitis, raw diet believe it or not is too rich for his system, vet strongly discouraged raw.

I would seriously recommend going to Jean Dodds Hemopet site http://www.hemopet.org/ and arranging a set of thyroid tests. I think you have to rule out hypothyroid problems. You've got a lot going on with him and dealing with a professional rather than guessing is the best route. Give her a letter with a concise discription of his problems , and see what she recommends. She knows all about these issues that he is struggling with. This probably will be less costly in the long run too. Talk to Missy for some reassurance on this.

__________________Dave and Molly
Ian Dunbar was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from I.P.D.T.A. Here's a picture of me accepting the award on his behalf.
Member of IAABC ,International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants , Member of Pet Professional Guild

Do you think I should wait for his blood work from the vet first? The clinic is probably the best in the area, state of the art everything so I am confident in the lab that will be doing the bloodwork.

He's going to the vet in 2 weeks so we will check his weight and see if he's lost any pounds. If he hasn't, then we know there's something going on other than diet and will do bloodwork at that time.

sure, see what comes up. Get a clear understanding what's involved. I simply recommended Jean Dodds, because she is a leading researcher and tester, in hypothyroidism. Her org. is non profit too. I would not trust just any lab with this myself, but I would hers. JMO . If you need a diet change, I will continue to recommend Sabine, or a vet that is a dietitian as well. I always believe vets are critical for our animals health, but most are not experts in diets, nor are they experts in behavior, unless their are board certified veterinary behaviorists.

__________________Dave and Molly
Ian Dunbar was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from I.P.D.T.A. Here's a picture of me accepting the award on his behalf.
Member of IAABC ,International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants , Member of Pet Professional Guild

Yes, I agree. I have an amazing behaviorist and an amazing vet. My issue with changing Djangos diet is that we are in a good place right now and anytime I change his diet things go south. I will wait to see what his bloodwork tells us and then go from their.

BTW we have an appointment with an allergist who came recommended by my behaviorist and vet. Django has these odd patches, perhaps dermatitis or something of that nature. It's not ringworm.

So, after the bloodwork and the appointment with the allergist, once we see what's going on I think I will touch base with Sabina. So much has changed since I emailed her last. This might be a good time to make dietary changes, he's also turning 9 in January.

Yes, I agree. I have an amazing behaviorist and an amazing vet. My issue with changing Djangos diet is that we are in a good place right now and anytime I change his diet things go south. I will wait to see what his bloodwork tells us and then go from their.

BTW we have an appointment with an allergist who came recommended by my behaviorist and vet. Django has these odd patches, perhaps dermatitis or something of that nature. It's not ringworm.

So, after the bloodwork and the appointment with the allergist, once we see what's going on I think I will touch base with Sabina. So much has changed since I emailed her last. This might be a good time to make dietary changes, he's also turning 9 in January.

Great, yeah , all that I"m saying is find out what the tests show and if a diet change is required go with an expert in nutriion ie. a ACVN or someone like Sabine, . Hugs

__________________Dave and Molly
Ian Dunbar was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from I.P.D.T.A. Here's a picture of me accepting the award on his behalf.
Member of IAABC ,International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants , Member of Pet Professional Guild